The chief executive of Yahoo has resigned after it was discovered that he lied on his resume. Tsk, tsk. Even I  know that’s a bad idea.   Scott Thompson falsely claimed that he had received a degree in Computer Science, when no such thing had ever happened. Thompson had only held the position for four months, and struggling Yahoo is in no position to deal with such a scandal. On the other hand, couldn’t a simple Yahoo search have avoided such an error?

In other resume news, a 22-year-old Minnesota man got a job after posting his resume on a billboard. Bennett Olson’s $300 investment landed the out-of-work fellow a new marketing job. Hey, sometimes desperation pays off. Read More »

Just in the nick of time, President Obama and congressional leaders agreed on a deal to raise the debt ceiling before the August 2nd deadline. If they hadn’t come to an agreement, the U.S. would have defaulted on it’s loans, and the world would’ve exploded (just kidding…) The compromise comes after a week-long standoff when it seemed like both sides, the Democrats and Republicans, were unwilling to budge. The plan, which Congressional leaders now have to sell to their parties,  includes a $2 trillion cut in spending over the next 10 years and the creation of a 12-member Congressional panel that will work to reduce the budget deficit even further.

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The author of the well-known memoir Three Cups of Tea has been accused of inventing many of the details that make up his best-selling work. First James Frey, now Greg Mortenson. The author and humanitarian who rose to fame after writing his memoir has been exposed as a fraud, a phony, a liar, liar, pants on fire. In his book, he claims he stumbled upon a friendly Pakistani village during a climbing trip gone wrong – not true. He also claims he was kidnapped in 1996 by the Taliban- you guessed it, also not true. On top of this, questions are being raised about his personal gains from the charity his falsehoods benefited. Ruh roh.

This Friday was the bloodiest day of the Syrian protests yet, bringing the death toll up to over 300. 112 Syrians were killed on what was dubbed “Great Friday,” a day pro-democracy rebels hoped would mark the largest turn-out of protestors yet. Over a month since the violence began, the rebels’ demands have not been met and president Bashar Assad remains in power. On Saturday, two lawmakers in the Syrian government resigned out of disgust, a surprising and dangerous move since many “traitors” have been jailed or exiled. Read More »

It’s today’s news with Kandy Korrespondent!

On Wednesday President Thabo Mbeki announced the deployment of the South African army in response to increasing xenophobic violence in Johannesburg and surrounding cities. Foreigners are fleeing their homes for mosques, churches, community centers, and police stations. According to witnesses, mobs are roaming the streets armed with clubs and bottles attacking foreign-owned businesses and homes. The BBC estimates that there are between three and five million foreigners currently residing in South Africa. Many are refugees from Zimbabwe.

In related news, according to the International Crisis Group there is a growing danger of a military coup within Zimbabwe. Moreover, the ICG doubts that current dictator Robert Mugabe will allow a genuinely free and fair election to occur since, according to recent polls, opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai seems sure to deliver a resounding defeat. The report calls for joint African mediation.

In Other News:

On Tuesday, Senator Edward Kennedy was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. The diagnosis follows Senator Kennedy’s hospitalization due to a seizure on Saturday. Fifty percent of those similarly diagnosed die within a year, the rest pass away within three years. This type of tumor is always fatal.

Check out the National Brain Tumor Foundation to join the fight against this most deadly form of cancer. Read More »